Giving In To Love
by GreyRENThead
Summary: PostRENT. After Mimi dies, Roger can't even look at other women without feeling guilty. Will sparks fly between him and his new roommate, or will the fact that they have way to much in common get in the way? READ AND REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N- Hey, guys! I'm back with another story, hopefully a longer one this time. I really hope you like this. I'm not too sure of it myself, but I'd really like some feedback to let me know what I'm doing right or wrong. This is post-RENT, just in case you didn't realize it. It's kind of obvious, though. And I'm sorry if I insult anyone from CT in this chapter. You'll deal with it because I'm dealing with it. I live in CT, too. Okay, I think I'll shut up now. Please review if you read! Feedback is always helpful and when you review, I post faster. _

_So remember, READ & REVIEW! _

_Disclaimer: I don't own RENT._

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_May 1993_

I sat underneath our tree, strumming at my guitar. That's right, it was _our_ tree. Before I lost Mimi to pneumonia last February, we would always come to this exact spot, not to do anything in particular, but just to sit and enjoy each other's company. The view from this spot is spectacular, too. Children play at the jungle gym to the right, ducks swim in the pond to the left.

I liked to come here because it not only reminded me of Mimi, but it helped clear my head. I liked to think that she sat with me, keeping me company and letting her beauty and grace flow freely. Sometimes it's hard to come by here because of that very reason. On days when the pain of losing her is too much to bear, I can't even walk past this spot. The thoughts and memories all come rushing back.

But when I do come here, it's natural that I want privacy. If anyone tried to invade 'our' spot, I wouldn't have it. I'd make them leave if it was the last thing I did. It's not something I liked to do or was proud of, but it's something that had to be done.

Absentmindedly, I started strumming 'Your Eyes'. Today is one year and three months since I've lost her, and the wound is still fresh. The only thing that gets me by these days is knowing that she's not suffering any longer, that she's out of pain and looking down on me from heaven.

One of the last things she told me was to move on. Not to forget her, but to learn to love again. And here I am, over a year since her death, feeling as if I'm cheating on Mimi by even _looking_ at another woman. I went back to playing a few notes on my guitar, thankful for the fact that getting lost in my music made me forget about the day's troubles.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even notice someone take a seat next to me. Normally I would shoo them away for a reason unknown to them, but today was different. I glanced over my shoulder to sneak a peek at her, only to catch her bright blue eyes staring back at me. I quickly turned away, focusing all of my attention on my guitar. I strummed an angry chord before searching through my guitar case for something, anything, to eat.

Nothing.

It'd been hard to make ends meet after Mimi passed away. Collins had moved back into the loft after Angel died, but shortly after we lost Mimi he took a job teaching computer science at Yale.

He said that he hoped the people over in Connecticut would listen to his Actual Reality theory, that maybe one day he'd make enough money to reverse this dumpy life we're living and open new doors for us. Yeah, tough chance. Muffy went to Yale. And if the others at Yale are _anything_ like Muffy, there's no way in hell that they're going to believe him.

So, with Collins out of the house, that only leaves Mark and I to pay for the rent. And with his job at Buzzline and my pathetic excuse for a salary, which I get from a combination of playing my guitar for people walking by and from giving guitar lessons out of the loft, we can barely make ends meet.

When we realized we were in dire need of another person to help pay the rent, we decided to put up flyers for a new roommate. It's been two weeks since we posted them and we haven't gotten a single sane person to ask to move in. We've gotten druggies, prostitutes, and kids running away from home, but no level headed adults.

Coming back to reality, I realized that the girl who had sat down next to me was now sitting in front of me, staring straight into my eyes again.

"Um…can I help you?" I asked her.

"Uh, yeah. Are you Mark or Roger?" she asked, her voice strong and clear.

"It depends. Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. My name's Isabelle. Isabelle West, actually. But everyone calls me Izzy."

I stared at her for a second, confused as to why she wanted to know who I was.

"Okay, Izzy. Why are you trying to figure out who I am?"

She laughed. "Well, I saw a flyer down at the Food Emporium saying that a certain Mark and Roger were looking for a roommate. And the address listed on the flyer matches the address on your guitar case." She pointed to a sticker saying _If Lost, Please Return To…._

I smiled and laughed. "Wow, you must have a good memory, then. You memorized the address?"

She laughed. "God, no. I have the flyer in my bag." She patted her red corduroy bag that was slung over her shoulder and smiled.

I smiled back at her. "Well, you've come to the right place. I'm Roger." I shook her hand. "Roger Davis."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Roger. So can I check this loft out or am I too late? I promise I'm not some drug dealer or hooker or something. I'll pay, I promise."

I laughed. "Don't worry, I wasn't concerned about you being someone like _that_. And no, you're not too late. The only applicants we've had were, ironically, drug dealers and hookers. Oh, and kids running away from home, but we sent them back to where they started."

She laughed. "Great, then. When can I come by?"

"Um, you can come over now if you'd like. I _think_ Mark's home, unless he's out filming or something."

"Really? Wow, that'd be great. Let me just grab my stuff and we can go, alright?"

"Sure, take your time. I'm in no rush." I put my guitar back into its case and stood up. I peered around the tree and saw Izzy pick up a guitar case of her own. How ironic.

"You play?"

She nodded. "I've been playing since I was fifteen, I think. My dad taught me before he passed away."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Izzy."

My thoughts automatically went to Mimi. She was all I could think about now. Should I tell Izzy about her? Should I keep it a secret? I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that I needed to get Izzy to the loft and introduce her to Mark. There's something about her…I don't know. I just have a good feeling about Izzy. This looks like the beginning of a great friendship.

Or maybe something more.

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_A/N- How'd you like it? I hope it didn't stink…like I said before, I'm not too sure of what I think about this yet. Feedback would be great, though. Let me know what I can improve on or what you like about this, please. _

_-Kait_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N- Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far. I'm really glad you guys liked it! I hope you like this chapter, too. And even if you didn't, let me know. Constructive criticism is great, too. It'll always help. So, READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!_

_-Kait_

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I brought Izzy back to the loft. On the walk back from the park we learned that we had a lot in common with each other. She has a great personality, parallel to Mimi's, even. She has the ability to bring out a better side of me. It's starting to scare me, actually, because this is _exactly_ how it all started out with Mimi and I. Her attitude towards life paired with her spunk left me in awe. I was drawn to Mimi, and in the short time I've known Izzy, I'm beginning to have the same feelings.

But I shouldn't, right? I still love Mimi. I can't do this to her, can I?

When we arrived, we attempted to race each other up the stairs, but halfway through we both got tired and collapsed on the landing in a fit of laughter.

"Damn! I thought I would win, too!" She shook with laughter, her chest heaving.

"Yeah, miss track star. Look who's talking, now!"

She laughed even harder. "Fuck you, Roger."

I flashed her a big smile as I laughed, one of the biggest smiles since Mimi's death. I stood up quickly and started up the next flight of stairs. "Come on, slowpoke!"

She groaned. "No…carry me?"

I laughed. "_Carry_ you? No, get your ass up here by yourself," I said with a smile.

She sighed and made her way up the stairs, walking a bit faster than me. "You're gonna pay," she said through her teeth as she walked past me.

I laughed it off and met her at the loft's door. I slipped the key through the key hole and slid the heavy door open. "Mark? You home?"

No answer.

"Guess he's out filming or something. Oh, well. Make yourself comfortable. I'm just gonna check the messages and then I'll give you a tour, okay?"

"Sounds good," she said with a smile as she sat down on the ratty couch.

I pressed the 'play' button on the answering machine. _BEEP!_

_Hey, bitches! It's Collins. I'm leaving around four this afternoon to come home for the summer. See if you can get the gang together tonight, okay? Alright, so I'll meet you guys the Life around 6:30 if I don't see you before then. Bye!_

"Funny, I had a professor named Collins once. He was my favorite teacher, actually."

I gave her a funny look. "Really? Because he _is _a professor at Yale, you know. He taught at M.I.T. for a while back in '89."

This got a huge grin out of her. "Oh my god, Tom Collins, right? Professor Tom Collins?"

I laughed. "Yeah! Where exactly do you know him from?" I asked her this as I filled two glasses of water from the tap. I handed one to Izzy and took a big gulp of mine.

"Yale."

I spit my water out and it landed all over the coffee table. "You went to _Yale?_"

"Uh, yeah. Why, is that hard to believe?"

"Sort of. I mean, it's not that you're not smart enough or anything, it's just…if you went to _Yale_, why are you looking to live _here?_"

"Oh, my parents paid for Yale. They said that I needed to become a surgeon just like them and that I was supposed to marry another doctor, too. But I knew that wasn't what I wanted to do." I nodded. "They never saw each other and when they were together, all they did was fight. Not to mention that they were never home for _me,_ their only daughter."

"I'm so sorry, Izzy. That must have been—"

"Wait," she stopped me. "It gets worse."

I shifted my position on the couch so I could look at her better. I could tell this wasn't going to be easy for her to talk about.

"When I was 15 my dad found out that he had a tumor resting on his optic nerve. And you'd think that since he was a doctor himself he would have noticed there was something wrong, but of course he didn't. He was too focused on his career to focus on his own health."

She paused to take a deep breath. "Since it was on his optic nerve, he was having problem with his eyesight and he was having seizures. And if he couldn't see or control the seizing, he couldn't perform surgeries. When he went to his oncologist and she said that the chances of him surviving the surgery were slim to none, so he decided to just give up his license." Izzy shook her head. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She reached up and took my hand into hers, squeezing it a bit as she let out a small smile.

"He ended up surviving for a year and a half with the tumor before he passed away. He had lost his eyesight completely about three months in. That's, uh, that's when he taught me to play the guitar. He said that music was one of the few things that you didn't need your sight for; that all you needed to do was feel the rhythm and go with it."

She took another deep breath. "So, that's why playing the guitar is so important to me. It's one of the last things my dad taught me, besides telling me to live like there's no tomorrow." I smiled, remembering how Mimi and Angel lived by the same philosophy.

"But I don't think that was your original question, now, was it?"

I shook my head, coming out of my day dream. "What?"

"What was your first question? You know, the one before I spilled my guts to you," she said with a smile.

"Oh, I asked why you wanted to live _here_ of all places if you go to Yale?"

"_Used_ to go to Yale. I kind of switched my major behind my mother's back from pre-med like she wanted to something that was more interesting, more practical."

"And thatwould be…?"

"Computer science."

"Ah, so that's how you were graced by Collins' presence. And since you didn't tell her you were switching majors she cut you off."

"Exactly. You're very smart, Roger," Izzy said with a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, shut up." I threw a pillow at her. She threw one back at me, causing a full fledged pillow fight.

I abruptly stood up. "Wait, I realized I never showed you around the place."

Izzy sat up from her spot on the floor, pillow in hand. "Oh, yeah. Well, I'm guessing this is the living room." She pointed to the left. "And that's the kitchen."

"You know, Izzy, you're very smart," I said, mocking her previous tone. I received a nice big smack on the ass from her pillow.

We both laughed and I helped her up from the floor. I gave her the tour of the rest of the loft, not that there was much left to show her.

"So, do you want to live here or not?"

"Yeah, I do. But what about this Mark guy. Wouldn't he want to meet me before I move in?"

"Nah, he'll be fine with it." _I hope. _

"_Really?"_

"Really."

She ran over to me and gave me a huge hug. "Thank you _so_ much, Roger!" She took my hand. "Let's go get my stuff! C'mon!"

"Wait a second, will ya? I have to write a note for Mark."

I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and scribbled him a note.

_Mark-_

_Found a new roommate. Going to get her stuff and bring it over here. Call Maureen and Joanne and tell them to meet us at the Life at 6:30. Collins is coming home. Be back soon._

_-Roger_

"Ready?"

"Yeah." I grabbed my keys and locked the door before heading down the stairs with Izzy.

"Where do you live, exactly?"

"At the Hilton."

"_Hilton!" _

"Yeah, the Hilton. Is that a problem?"

"Well, no. It's just…I don't get it. Why would you want to move into a dump like the loft when you can obviously afford to stay at the Hilton?"

She laughed. "Mother dearest forgot to take back her Visa when she cut off my tuition. So I decided I better milk it for all it's worth and live lavishly, I guess, before she figures out that I still have her credit card."

I laughed. "Sounds like something I would do."

She smiled. "It's a long walk, though, so we _could_ just take a cab and give the tab to mother dearest."

"Sounds like a plan." I waved my arm to the taxi cab coming our way. He stopped and we piled in.

"The Hilton Hotel on West 42nd street, please," Izzy said. The driver grunted and merged into traffic.

We arrived in front of the Hilton Hotel about 15 minutes later. Izzy paid the driver using her mother's credit card and we were on our way.

We packed up all of her clothes and belongings into her suitcases and had the staff bring them down to the lobby.

By the time we got back to the loft it was 6:15. Mark left a note saying he had left around 6 and that he'd see us there.

"Shit. We've got to head down to the Life."

"The Life?"

"Yeah. The Life Café. You'll meet Mark, Maureen, Joanne, and you'll get to see Collins again."

Izzy nodded. "Where should I put these?"

"Oh, let's put them in your room." We took her suitcases to the spare bedroom, which was now the home of Izzy West. It wasn't much, but it was better than living on the streets. At least we had heat for the winter. The stick came out of Benny's ass the day he divorced Alison. We still didn't like him that much, but he was a much better person without Muffy.

I grabbed her by the hand and dragged her out of the loft, down the stairs, and to the Life. We opened the door and were greeted by my friends, hopefully Izzy's friends in the near future.

I had a feeling Izzy was going to be around us for a _long_ time.

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_A/N: Hope you liked it! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N- I need more reviews! I know you people are reading this, but not many of you are reviewing! So special thanks to those of you that _did_ review! You each get a cookie!  
_

_So, please R & R this time!_

_-Kait_

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I was bombarded with hugs from Collins and Maureen. Izzy watched from the sidelines as I said hello to my friends.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Isabelle West. She's going to be our new roommate."

"Izzy? How's it goin', girl," Collins asked with excitement as he gave her a hug.

"Hey, Professor Collins!" She hugged him back.

"Collins. Call me Collins. I don't see a classroom around here, do you?" She shook her head with a smile.

Mark walked up to her next with his hand waiting to be shaken by Izzy's. "I'm Mark. Mark Cohen. I, uh, I live in the loft with Roger and, well, now you. I would have met you earlier but—"

"Mark," I said.

"What?"

"You're rambling."

"No, I'm not."

"Marky gets nervous around pretty girls," Maureen said matter-of-factly as she winked at Izzy. Mark and Izzy both blushed.

"_Maureen_," Mark whined.

"Honeybear, I think it's best to go sit down for now. You've done enough, _believe_ me," Joanne told her.

"But Pookie! I haven't even introduced myself yet." She turned to Izzy. "Hi, I'm Maureen Johnson!"

"It's nice to meet you, Maureen." She turned to Joanne. "And you're Joanne, right?"

She nodded. "Joanne Jefferson. It's great to meet you," she said with a smile as she ushered Maureen to the table Collins, Mark, and Roger had sat down at. Izzy followed the pair and sat down next to Roger and Collins, across from Mark.

Izzy didn't have much to say. It seemed that the purpose of this get-together was to welcome Collins home, not to focus on her arrival into the group.

Mark spoke up. "So, uh, Izzy?"

"Yeah, Mark?"

"What exactly brings you to Bohemia? No offense or anything, but you don't seem like a starving artist or anyone who belongs anywhere remotely _near_ this side of town."

She laughed. "I just out of college a year ago. Yale, actually. That's where I was "graced by Collins' presence" as Roger puts it. My mom cut off my tuition when she found out I switched majors to something I was actually interested in."

Mark laughed. "That's _exactly_ what happened to me, too. I went to Brown. My parents wanted me to be pre-med but I wanted to be a filmmaker, so I switched my major. They cut me off the moment they found out. That's when I met Roger."

Izzy smiled. "Well, we have a lot in common, then."

"Yeah, I guess we do."

Carlos, our usual waiter, came over to the table and sat down on an empty chair. "Hey, Collins. You're back from Yale!"

"That I am. What's up with you, Carlos?"

"Eh, same old, same old. I hate the job but I need the money."

"I hear ya, man."

"So, what'll it be today, guys?"

Collins ordered first. "I'll have a cup of the soup of the day, Car."

"Miso soup. How unusual," he said with a sarcastic tone. Collins laughed.

Izzy and Maureen both ordered a seaweed salad, Mark ordered pasta, and Joanne and I ordered soy burgers.

"Okay." He wrote the orders down. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Carlos…you're slacking," I said.

"I know, I know. Wine and beer." He scribbled on the pad of paper. "I'll be right back with the drinks."

"Thanks," we all said.

I nudged Izzy on the shoulder. "You're awfully quiet. You okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't know what to say. You guys seem like such a tight-knit group and I don't want to intrude or anything. I don't even know these people and…"

"Listen. You're _not_ intruding. You'll warm up to them eventually. They're nice people, you know. Like Mark. He's a filmmaker."

"So I've heard."

"He made a documentary about a year in our lives. It was called "Today 4 U: Proof Positive." I couldn't tell her about AIDS just yet. It'd probably scare her away.

"And Collins. Well, you already know him. He's a good person, right?" She nodded. "And Joanne, she's a lawyer. And a damn good one, too. Maureen, she's a performance artist. She does these wacky protests all the time. They seem kind of weird at first, but they work. I don't know…people listen to her, that's all. I remember the one on Christmas Eve in '89. There were _so_ many people there it wasn't even funny. She may be blunt but she's honest in most aspects of her life."

"Most aspects?"

"In time you'll see what I mean."

"Okay. Should I be scared?"

I laughed. "Probably."

"Great."

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. They'll warm up to you sooner or later. If not, I'll hurt them. I promise."

This made Izzy laugh.

Carlos came by the table with our wine and beer.

"I'll be right back," she said as she started to walk away. She turned around to face me again. "Wait. Where's the bathroom?"

I pointed to a big sign that said "RESTROOMS". "Damn, how'd I miss that?"

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled at her as I watched her walk away.

"Hey, guys?"

"What?" they all said in unison.

"Do you think you could make Izzy feel a little more welcomed? She kind of feels left out, like she's intruding on our little group or something," I told them.

"Oh, I didn't know that. I feel awful now. Of course we'll make her feel welcome," Joanne said.

"How?" Maureen asked.

"I know! But we have to go back to the loft to do it," Mark said.

"Um, okay," I said.

"What're you planning to do, boy?"

"You'll see," Mark told him.

Izzy came back to the table and instantly she felt welcomed into the group. Everyone started talking with her and made her feel included, which made me happy. She wasn't a shy person, at least that's the impression I got from when she came up to me at the park, so I don't know why she was that nervous to be here in the first place. From all the things she's told me about herself, she seems like a level headed girl who knows how to have fun.

_Just like Mimi. After the smack, that is._

Carlos brought our food to the table and we began to eat. When we finished, we were appalled at the bill. _I guess we had a little too much wine and beer, now, didn't we?_

Then we heard something hit the table. "Let's let mother dearest pick up the tab, okay? I'm _sure_ she won't mind."

We all laughed. "Thanks, Izzy," we all said.

Our group walked back to the loft, a little woozy from the alcohol we'd just consumed. We weren't dunk, but we weren't sober, that's for sure. And knowing Collins, he brought liquor.

Tripping as we made our way up the stairs, we soon piled into the loft, collapsing on the floor or couch.

Mark immediately got out his projector and began to set it up. I walked over to him, knowing exactly what he was intending to show.

"You're going to show _Today 4 U_, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Um, can you maybe show something else? I mean, I think it'd be great to show her _someday_, but I haven't told her about Mimi and the fact that I have AIDS. I don't know how okay with it she is. Just...just show her something happy," I reasoned.

He placed a comforting arm on my shoulder. "Of course I'll show something else, then. And I know exactly what to show, too," he said with a devious smirk on his face.

Maureen and Joanne were in the kitchen making popcorn while Collins was opening the bottles of Stoli and making screwdrivers for everyone. Izzy and I sat down on the couch and waited for the movie to begin.

"AHH," Maureen and Joanne screamed. I ran over to see what had happened.

"Um, Roger. I think your microwave is broken. Look at the popcorn," Maureen said. I looked into the bag and all I saw was a black. No buttery, yellow pieces of popcorn. Just a black mess.

I laughed. "Yeah, that old thing hasn't worked in years. We can't really afford another one, though."

"Well why didn't you tell us?" Joanne asked.

"I thought this would be funnier." This earned a smack on the head from Maureen. She then smiled, grabbed Joanne's hand, and walked over to the couch.

"Okay, guys. I'm ready," Mark said. Collins and I brought over the screwdrivers and placed them on the coffee table. Even under the weight of six small glasses and a few scattered magazines, it looked like it was going to break.

"What are we watching?" Izzy asked.

"You'll see," Mark told her. "Let's just say you're gonna get to know us better over the next few minutes."

"Okaaaay," she said apprehensively.

Mark turned the lights off as the glow from the projector shone on the wall. It began with highlights of Maureen's protest of the eviction of the homeless. Izzy laughed when she saw Maureen jumping up and down screaming "MOO!".

"You know, Izzy, I could do a reenactment!"

"Um, I'm good, Maureen."

"Aww, really?"

"Really."

The next clip began with Mark dancing on the tables at the Life. Izzy watched as each of us danced around the café, laughing at Mark's spastic dancing and Mr. Grey's face when Maureen and Joanne told him they were just sisters.

"Wait." She pointed to the screen. "Who are they?" Mimi and Angel were on the screen, dancing in _interesting_ positions.

"Oh, that's Angel and Mi—"

"They're old friends," I said, not wanting to discuss this right now.

This earned me a quizzical look from Collins, Joanne, and especially Maureen. She wasn't known for catching onto things quickly.

"Oh, okay," Izzy said.

I hated the fact that I didn't tell her the whole truth about the situation, but I feared what would have happened if I did.

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_A/N- Loved it? Hated it? Let me know! Review, please! -Kait_


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

_A/N- I'm so sorry about the wait for this chapter. School's been a little crazy, to say the least, and I haven't had the time to update. I really hope you like it!_

_If you read, REVIEW!_

_Thanks_: )

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_Two Weeks Later_

I watched as Robby made his way out the door. "Bye, Robby. I'll see you next week for another lesson, right?"

"Yeah. Bye, Rog."

I smiled and shut the door, turned around, and walked into the kitchen. It was after noon and I was getting hungry. I looked for anything remotely resembling food and ended up with a cheese sandwich on stale bread. I guess it was better than _nothing._

I sat down and heard the door slide open. Izzy walked into the loft and sprawled herself on the couch.

"What's wrong this time?" This was getting to be a habit of hers, coming home in a rush and then collapsing onto the couch. I was pretty surprised that it hadn't broken yet from all the abuse it'd gone through.

Izzy sighed dramatically. _Maureen's a bad influence on her_, I thought. "It's my fucking credit card."

"Um…what?"

"My credit card. It was rejected." She paused to have another dramatic sigh. "I was shopping and about to buy these _really_ cute shoes at Saks, but when I gave the lady my credit card, she said it was denied," she cried.

"Oh, God. That sucks, Iz. Why'd it get denied?"

"Hell if I know. I bet it's my mother…she probably got the bill for my Visa, went ballistic and canceled my account." She paused. "What do I do now?"

I shrugged. "You can get a job, I guess."

"A JOB? I've never had a _job!_ "

"Really?"

"_Really."_ She was obviously getting annoyed at me.

"Don't worry, Izzy. It'll be okay." I walked over to the couch and placed my hand on her shoulder. "I'll help you look for a job tomorrow, how's that sound?"

Her anger disappeared and a smile formed on her face. "'Kay. But first you've gotta move."

"What? Why?"

She looked up at me. "Because I have to pee. And if you want your couch to stay as clean as it is now, you'll let me go."

I laughed. "Yeah, well our couch isn't clean right now as it is, so go ahead."

She started to laugh. "Funny, Rog." I let her go and watched her disappear into the bathroom.

The phone had started ringing, and on a whim I decided to pick it up.

"Hello?"

A snobby sounding woman answered. "Yes, I'm looking for Isabelle West. Does she reside here?"

"Uh…yeah. Hold on a second." I put the phone down.

"IZZY! PICK UP THE PHONE," I screamed to her.

"HOLD ON! I'M IN THE BATHROOM!"

"Oh, yeah. WELL HURRY YOUR ASS UP, OKAY?"

"YEAH, YEAH, YEAH."

I heard the toilet flush, and Izzy emerged shortly after. I handed her the phone which she placed on the table. She pushed the 'speakerphone' button on the phone's base.

"Hello?"

"Isabelle?"

"_Mom?"_

"Yes, it's your mother."

"Eww, Roger, why'd you pick up the phone?"

"What? Now this is _my_ fault? It could have been something important!"

Izzy's mother's voice boomed over the speaker. "This _is_ important."

Izzy rolled her eyes as I walked into the other room, listening to the conversation. "Okay, Mom. What is it?"

"I wanted to talk to you about your credit card bills. They're outrageous. Three hundred dollars at Saks, five hundred dollars at Barney's, two hundred at Rudy's Music Shop—"

"Okay, Mom, I get it. I don't get what the big deal is? You gave me the credit card, so I used it."

"No, that was _not_ the deal and you know it, Isabelle. I gave you that Visa to use while you were at _Yale._ Do you attend Yale now? No. So, no credit card for you. I cancelled your account earlier today."

"So it _was_ you! You know what? That's not fair! I have no money now! What the hell do you expect me to do now?"

"Well, if you had stayed at Yale like you were supposed to, we wouldn't be in this situation, now, would we? You'd have a rewarding job that you loved and you would be making a lot of money."

"No, Mom. I would have had a job _you_ loved. I have no interest in being a doctor whatsoever, and I don't give a shit about how it's a rewarding job and it pays good money. It's _your_ dream for me, not my own. So, you know what?"

"What, Isabelle? Try me?"

"_FUCK OFF!"_

"_Isabelle Marie West, _you do _not_ speak to your mother like that."

She scoffed. "Yeah, well I just did."

Izzy's mother sighed loudly. "This is what I've been telling everyone at the country club; you have no respect for me, for all I've given you! You think I make every decision based on what I want and that I never think of you. How else do you think you'll learn?"

"Don't know. Don't care." Izzy paused. "Who gave you this number, anyway?"

"Sara Grace."

Her voice suddenly became angry again. "_Sara_ gave you this number? Oh, I am going to _kill_ her."

And with that, she hung up the phone, dismissing her mother's annoying voice from the room. She fell back onto the couch and shut her eyes. I walked out into the living room and sat down hear her feet. "I take it that went awful."

"No. Awful's an understatement."

I laughed. "Oh, who's Sara Grace?"

"Sara? She's _supposed_ to be my best friend, but right now I feel like strangling her," she said with a sarcastic-looking smile.

We were in for one hell of a ride.

-------

_A/N- Loved it? Hated it? Review please! I'll try to have the next chapter out sooner, as long as school isn't too crazy.  
-Kaitlin_


	5. Author's Note!

Hello, everyone!

I know it's been a really long time since I've updated, and you'll probably all hate me for this, but I've decided to put _Giving Into Love_ on hiatus. I've completely lost my inspiration for it. I'm so glad that all of you liked the beginning of my story, but I just don't know where I'll find the time (or motivation) to finish it.

But…my friend (TangoAida) has offered to take over. If any of you would like to take over, please let me know. My friend isn't _definitely _taking over, so there's still time to talk to me.

Once again, I'm really sorry to all that were enjoying this! I've switched obsessions, and I'm sad to say that RENT isn't one of my major ones anymore. I still absolutely love it, but I don't have any inspiration to write RENT-fics. However, if you're a Grey's Anatomy fan (yes, it's my newest obsession), please check out my stories I've written (_We Could Have Been Happy, What We're Aiming For, Fall Away From Your Past_, and _Oh, Wouldn't It Be Nice). _

Big thanks goes out to anyone that reads them!

And again, if you want to discuss taking over this story, please PM me ASAP!

Love,

Kaitlin (GreyRENThead)


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